Years ago, when Tom Richter began serving his homemade tonic at Daryl’s Wine Bar in New Brunswick, Per Se was his lone competitor. And when Richter’s customers claimed his version was better, he had to take their word for it. As a bartender/actor, he couldn’t afford to check out Per Se for himself.

The clamoring from customers continued; response to his tonic, says Richter, was always crazy-positive. “You should bottle this stuff,” they told him. He didn’t bother. It was too much work.

Enter Freemans, the hipster, quirky, taxidermy-filled, cultish restaurant at the end of an alley in the East Village. Richter, who was doing some cocktail consulting in New York, got the word: “Freemans wants it.”

That day, Richter incorporated. The next day, after an all-night production session, he delivered his first case of tonic.

Since that day in April 2009, his company has grown exponentially — he now produces 100 cases every two weeks. And the clamoring has continued. Tomr’s Tonic has received accolades from Food & Wine, Men’s Journal, The Wall Street Journal.

Part of the secret to Tomr’s Tonic is the cinchona bark (quinine). Richter imports bark from South America and is strict about its quality (he recently ditched an entire batch — a $15,000 loss — because he didn’t like the taste). Using real bark (instead of quinine extract) adds an amazing depth of botanical flavor. Customers claim to taste nutmeg, star anise, cinnamon.

Richter, who lives in Plainfield with his actress wife, Michele Ragusa, developed his tonic while working with chef David Drake. Richter and the chef share the same passion for specifically balanced and sophisticated marriages of flavor — acid, bitter, sweet, etc. As a bartender, Richter had also discovered that the gin and tonic was the most-ordered cocktail, a back-up, go-to drink. Why not make it special? (“Life is too short to drink crappy tonic” is the company motto.)

Tomr’s Tonic is a rich, amber-colored concentrate and is more bracing an elixir than sticky sweet. It’s meant to be paired with gin. “Vodka has no flavor,” says Richter, and you won’t get the depth of experience. Gin will deepen the flavors of the tonic, open it, sweeten it. (Richter prefers a dry gin, one with juniper notes, because he likes the juniper bite.)

“I made it for me, and I’m thrilled that everyone else likes it.”

In New Jersey, Tomr’s Tonic is served at the bar of Ursino’s in Union and Orange Squirrel in Bloomfield. Retailers who carry his tonic include CoolVines in Westfield and Whole Foods in Paramus. It’s also available online at tomrstonic.com.

Plus, he just got word of an important retail development in New York.